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The Canary Islands to reopen for cruise ships – and Britons are invited

Tui’s Mein Schiff II will depart from Gran Canaria - Juergen Sack
Tui’s Mein Schiff II will depart from Gran Canaria - Juergen Sack

The Canary Islands is lifting its ban on cruise ships from November 5, and Britons will be welcome.

Tui Cruises and Hapag Lloyd Cruises – which is part of the Tui Group –  are two of the companies that will restart cruises around the Canaries after the region’s government recognised that the travel sector is crucial to the islands’ economic recovery. The Canary Islands are a popular winter sun destination for travellers from the UK, with the islands relying on holidaymakers during these months.

Tui’s Mein Schiff II will depart from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria while Hapag Lloyd’s Europa II will cast anchor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and both ships will sail to the ports of other Canary Islands.

In giving cruise lines the green light to restart sailing, the Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa joins a small but growing number of destinations allowing ships to raise anchor and welcome back passengers following months with vessels left empty.

But it's not back to business as usual. Health officials said: “Permission will only be given to European companies [as] the health protocols that the EU has established are among the most demanding in the world.”

Beyond the capial city, Gran Canaria has a vast landscape - INGUS KRUKLITIS
Beyond the capial city, Gran Canaria has a vast landscape - INGUS KRUKLITIS

In order to ensure a responsible and safe start, permitted cruise companies must ensure that their ships set sail at a reduced capacity of no more than 70 per cent.

Additionally the Ministries of Public Works, Transport and Housing and the Department of Health have agreed on a strict new health and safety protocol that requires a special hygiene plan for the ships, insurance to cover possible outbreaks of Covid-19 among passengers, additional onboard medical equipment and a consultation with health centres and hotels on each of the islands in case of quarantine.

British travellers will be welcomed on board but will have to jump through several hoops. These include producing a negative Covid-19 test prior to arriving in the Canary Islands, filling out a form documenting all their movements in the last 15 days, and confirming that they haven’t come into contact with anyone who has tested positive for the virus.

There’s another caveat too: Britons will have to face quarantine requirements on their return home as the Canary Islands aren’t currently on the UK travel corridor list.

A statement on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website reads: “The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advise against all non-essential travel to Spain, including the Balearic and Canary Islands, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks in the country.

It adds: “If you are returning from Spain you will be required to self-isolate on your return to the UK, but the FCDO is not advising you to cut short your visit.”

Nonetheless, as a long, hard winter in the UK looms large, the news that cruises around the sun-soaked Canary Islands are on the cards comes as a welcome boost for cruise-starved passengers desperate to get back on the water.